Method and apparatus for packaging envelopes



Oct. 19, 1954 c. PEARCE 2,691,922

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING ENVELOPES Filed Nov. 12, 1953 DIE-OIlmmliilllllllllllllllllllllIllllll|IlllllIllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliINVENTOR. LEW/5 a P154265 Patented Oct. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES METHODAND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING ENVELOPES Lewis G. Pearce, Berea, Ohio,assignor to Pearce Development Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Application November 12, 1953, Serial No. 391,650

Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for packaging envelopesin groups.

In prior practice it was usual to take groups of envelopes and place anencircling paper band around the envelopes in order to package them forhandling or for sale.

The principal object of the instant invention is to provide a method andmeans for packaging envelopes without requiring a separate encirclingpaper band.

A further object is to provide a device for applying a strip of flexibleadhesive along an edge of a group of envelopes thereby binding themtogether.

Various other objects of the present invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying the principles of myinvention and showing the manner in which the device operates.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, ill represents the delivery chute of an envelope makingmachine. The envelopes l2 issuing from said machine in the areagenerally indicated at iii are quite loosely stacked with relation toone another. Creeper conveyor belts l5, supported by means (not shown),engage the top, bottom and side edges of the envelopes and convey theenvelopes progressively from the left to the right of the machine asviewed in Fig. 1. The belts travel at a speed greater than the forwardmovement of the envelopes. Thence, they tend to compact the envelopesagainst a header (not shown) into close lying relationship in the mannershown generally at M.

While the envelopes are being moved along by belts l5, they pass througha gumming station shown generally in the location of the section line2-2 of Fig. 1. As can best be seen in Fig. 2, the envevlopes l2 progressthrough the gumming station while standing on their bottom edge. Theside edges of the envelopes are in frictional engagement with thesurface of two adhesive applying rollers It and it. The rollers it and18 have a beveled face for engagement with the envelopes, said bevelbeing at an angle of 45 to the axis of rotation of the rollers. Twoshafts l9 and 20, having their axes at 45 to the side surface of theenvelopes, are mounted in a suitable framework (not shown but indicatedby the boxes 2| and 22 respectively). The shafts l9 and 20 support theadhesive applying rollers it and [8, respectively.

Two adhesive supply tanks 23 and 2 5 are supported by means of a frame(not shown) and contain therewithin supplies 25 and 2t, respectively, ofa flexible adhesive. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the lower portion of theroller it is immersed in the adhesive supply 25 and similarly the lowerportion of the roller I8 is immersed in the adhesive supply 26. As theenvelopes pass through the adhesive applying station, the side edges ofthe envelopes bearing against the adhesive applying rollers it and I8cause the same to rotate and transfer adhesive from the supply sources25 and 26 and apply it in a narrow band along each side of the envelopesin the manner indicated at 27.

The envelopes with the strip of adhesive along their side edges are thenpassed through a drying station having two driers (only one being shownat 28, there being a similar drier on the opposite side of the device).After passing through the drying station, the envelopes come in contactwith a counter or calipering device which measures a given distancerepresenting a certain number of envelopes. After a sufficient number ofenvelopes have passed a certain point and move the caliper a sufiicientdistance equal to the width of said selected number of envelopes, aslitter member 29 mounted above the envelopes (by means not shown) isactuated by the caliper. When so actuated, the slitter member 29 islowered by means (not shown) so the slitting blades enter between twoenvelopes. The blades are then opened up, in the manner shown in thedotted lines in Fig. 2 whereby the slitter severs the adhesive stripsextending along the sides of the envelopes and separates the envelopesinto groups, each containing the proper number. The envelope packagesthus segregated by means of the slitter drop off the end of the deviceonto a conveyor belt.

From the foregoing description, it may be seen that I have provided anovel method and means of banding envelopes into individual packages ofgroups wherein the use of an encircling band of paper is eliminated, theenvelopes being held together by means of a flexible adhesive applied instrips along the sides thereof. When it is desired to separate theenvelopes for use, it is merely necessary to tear one envelope away fromthe rest in the same manner in which a sheet of paper is torn from apad. The small amount of adhesive which might cling to any individualenvelope would not be objectionable.

While I have shown and described one preerred form of my invention, itis to be understood that various changes may be made in thisconstruction by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

l. A method of packaging envelopes comprising moving the envelopes to bepackaged along a predetermined path while resting on their bottom edgesin close lying front to back relation, connecting the envelopes togetherby applying a thin strip of flexible adhesive to the side edges of saidenvelopes as they move past a given point, and separating said envelopesthus connected 3 into groups'by slitting'the adhesive strips between twoadjacent envelopes at selected points.

2. A method of packaging envelopes comprising moving the envelopes to bepackaged along a predetermined path while resting on their bottom edgesin close lying front to back relation, connecting the envelopes togetherby applying a thin strip of flexible adhesive to the side edges of saidenvelopes as they move past a given point, drying said adhesive strips,and separating said envelopes thus connected into groups by slitting theadhesive strips between two adjacent envelopes at selected points.

3. A method of packaging envelopes comprising receiving the envelopes asthey issue from an envelope making machine, arranging the envelopes in acolumn resting on their bottom edges in front to back relation,compressing the column of envelopes into close lying relation, applyingthin strips of a flexible adhesive to the side edges of said compressedcolumn of envelopes and slitting said strips of adhesive be tween twoadjacent envelopes at selected points along said column to separate saidenvelopes into groups each containing a predetermined number ofenvelopes.

4. A method of packaging envelopes comprising receiving the envelopes asthey issue from an envelope making machine, arranging the envelopes in acolumn resting on their bottom edges in front to back relation,compressing the column of envelopes into close lying relation, applyingthin strips of a flexible adhesive to the side edges of said compressedcolumn of envelopes, drying said adhesive strips, and slitting saidstrips of adhesive between two adjacent envelopes at selected pointsalong said column to separate said envelopes into groups each containinga predetermined number of envelopes.

5. An envelope packaging device comprising means for receiving looseenvelopes and condetermined number of envelopes.

6. An envelope packaging device comprising means for receiving looseenvelopes and conveying them past an adhesive applying station inupright close lying front to back relation, means for applying a narrowstrip of flexible adhesive along the side edges of said envelopestransversely thereto as said envelopes pass through said adhesiveapplying station, said adhesive binding said envelopes into a continuouscolumn, means for drying said adhesive strips, and means for severingsaid adhesive strip between two adjacent envelopes at selected pointsalong said column, whereby said envelopes are separated into groups eachcontaining a predetermined number of envelopes.

7. An envelope packaging device comprising a flat tray on which theloose envelopes are received standing upright on their bottom edges, 2.plurality of conveyor belts adapted to contact the bottom, top, and sideedges respectively of said envelopes as they move off said tray, meansto retard the advance of said envelopes relative to 7. means forapplying a narrow strip of adhesive the travel of said belts wherebythe' envelopes are compacted to close lying front to back relation,

along the side edges of said envelopes as they are moved by saidconveyor belts past said adhesive applying means while in said closelying relation, said adhesive binding said envelopes into a continuouscolumn, and means for severing said adhesive strip between two adjacentenvelopes at selected points along said column, whereby said envelopesare separated into'groups each containing a predetermined number ofenvelopes.

8. An envelope packaging device comprising a flat tray on which theloose envelopes are received standing upright on their bottom edges, aplurality of conveyor belts adapted to contactthe bottom, top, and sideedges respectively of said envelopes as they move off said tray, meansto retard the advance of said envelopes relative to the travel of saidbelts whereby the envelopesare compacted to close lying front to backrelation, means for applying a narrow strip of adhesive along the sideedges of said envelopes as they are moved by said conveyor belts pastsaid adhesive applying means while in said close lying relation,

said adhesive binding said envelopes into a; continuous column, meansfor drying said adhesive strip, and means for severing said adhesivestrip between two adjacent envelopesat selected points along saidcolumn, whereby said envelopes are separated into groups each containinga predetermined number of envelopes.

9. An envelope packaging device comprising a flat tray on which theloose envelopes are received standing upright on their bottom edges, aplurality of conveyor belts adapted to contact the bottom, top, and sideedges respectively of said envelopes as they move off said tray, meansto retard the advance of said envelopes relative to the travel of saidbelts whereby the envelopes are compacted to close lying front to backrelation, an adhesive supply tank mounted adjacent each side of saidenvelopes, a transfer roller mounted diagonally in each of said adhesivesupply tanks said transfer rollers adapted to apply a thin strip ofadhesive to each side of said envelopes as they are moved past saidrollers by said conveyor belts, said adhesive binding said envelopesinto a continuous column, means for drying said adhesive strips, andmeans for severing said adhesive strip between two adjacent, envelopeswhereby said envelopes are separated into groups each containing apredetermined number of envelopes. I

10. An envelope packaging device comprising a flat tray on which theloose envelopes are received standing upright on their bottom edges, aplurality of conveyor belts adapted to contact the bottom, top, and sideedges respectively of said envelopes as they move off said tray, meansto,

No references cited.

